The provided bar chart illustrates the proportion of Australian men and women across various age demographics who regularly engaged in physical activity during the year 2010. Overall, it is evident that women generally participated more in regular physical activity than men, with the notable exception of the youngest age bracket. Furthermore, female engagement tended to increase with age before eventually declining, while male participation showed a U-shaped trend. Initially, among Australians aged 15 to 24, men exhibited a higher rate of regular physical activity at 52.8%, compared to women at 47.7%. However, this pattern reversed in subsequent age groups. For individuals between 25 and 34, female participation slightly surpassed male participation, at 48.9% versus 42.2% respectively. The most significant disparity emerged in the 35-44 age bracket, where the percentage of active men plummeted to its lowest point of 39.5%, while women maintained a considerably higher figure of 52.5%. This represented the largest gap observed across all demographics. Moving into the older cohorts, the trend of higher female engagement persisted. Women aged 45 to 54 recorded their peak activity level at 53.3%, whereas men in the same group saw only 43.1%. Similarly, for those aged 55 to 64, 53% of women were physically active, compared to 45.1% of men. In the oldest group, 65 and over, both genders showed a decline in activity, with women at 47.1% and men at 46.7%. Here, the difference between male and female participation became minimal, closing the gap that had widened in earlier adult life.
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